Former Air Force commander remains missing, search extended to his Colorado home

The search for retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland has taken investigators through the Sandia Mountains and now, Colorado, after clothing was recently found inside his Pagosa Springs home.

Bernalillo County Lt. Kyle Woods said during a news conference on Monday afternoon that nothing has been ruled out regarding the former Kirtland Air Force Base commander’s disappearance, “which is why we’re investigating every possible link that we can.”

McCasland was last seen at about 11 a.m. Feb. 27 in the area of Quail Run NE, near Tramway and Academy. That afternoon, the sheriff’s office issued a Silver Alert.

There have been “no confirmed sightings of McCasland,” Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said.

“Everybody’s asking, ‘Why a Silver Alert on Mr. McCasland?’” he said. “(According to) New Mexico state statute, a Silver Alert does not require a formal diagnosis of any mental deterioration.”

Allen said, however, that before McCasland’s disappearance the retired major general “was experiencing a mental fog.” 

But there was no indication that McCasland was disoriented and confused when he disappeared, Woods said.

“Arguably, he would still be the most intelligent person in (a) room that any of us would be in,” he said.

At about 10 a.m. Feb. 27, Allen said, a repairman was talking with McCasland at his house. About an hour later, his wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, left to go to a medical appointment. When she returned at 12:04 p.m., McCasland was gone. At 3:07 p.m., friends and family reported him missing, according to BCSO.

McCasland was believed to be wearing a light green, long-sleeved button-up shirt and hiking boots that were later found at McCasland’s Pagosa Springs, Colorado, home, Allen said.

“But please remember, let’s be practical, “he said. “Mr. McCasland probably had more than one pair of hiking boots located at his Pagosa Springs house.”

Also missing from McCasland’s Albuquerque home was a .38 caliber revolver with a leather holster, wallet and red backpack, which investigators are still looking for. However, McCasland left his glasses, phone and “wearable devices,” which was “abnormal behavior on his part,” Woods said.

Investigators have canvassed hundreds of homes as well as combed the Sandia Mountains, particularly the Elena Gallegos Open Space and Domingo Baca trail, places McCasland was known to frequent, Woods said.

“We’ve flown at night hours trying to utilize the flare to pick up on any heat signatures that may be coming off of the mountain,” he said. “Unfortunately, we had one of the warmest (winters) we’ve had in years and the imagery coming off of the flare, the mountain is just lit up like a candle even at night. … We are many weeks in and if he were to take a run into the mountains, the likelihood of surviving this timeframe would be very low at this point in time.”

Through the course of the investigation, Woods said law enforcement received dozens of tips and theories that include a possible link between McCasland and UFOs.

McCasland is the former commander of Phillips Research Site at Kirtland Air Force Base and Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, as well as a Kirtland Partnership Committee board member.

“I appreciate that there’s a community that wants to go down the rabbit hole of UFOs,” Woods said. “I don’t have a way with which to pursue that and so those theories have to be set aside unless we were to find something that would (have) indicated that. So, we can only go off the fact(s).”

During the investigation, the FBI has assisted the sheriff’s office with interviews, analysis and surveillance, FBI special agent in charge Justin Garris said.

“We have a phenomenal relationship with them and so if Sheriff Allen and Lt. Woods need more resources, we’ll give ‘em to them,” he said.

Anyone with information about the case, Allen said, can call the BCSO Missing Person Unit at 505-468-7070 or submit an anonymous tip via Tip411 by texting BCSO and the tip to 847411.

People can also share videos and photos with the sheriff’s office.

“We will exhaust every lead and go over every tip that we have to make sure that we do not miss anything,” Allen said. “Again, the public (is) our eyes and ears. We work for you and we would like you to assist us and make sure that we can bring this case to some type of resolution, no matter what that is.”

Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and the Road Warrior. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820.